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Violence against women in Turkey: A murder case puts Erdogan under pressure

2019-08-27T16:58:40.193Z


A man kills his ex-wife, the crime is filmed. The case has sparked a debate in Turkey over violence against women. Even President Erdogan has to put up with allegations.



The last words of Emine B. are recorded in a video. It was shared thousands of times over the past week in social networks. "I do not want to die," says the 38-year-old in the recording, which made a stranger with the phone - a few seconds after B. had been attacked by her ex-husband with a knife. Shortly thereafter, the young mother died in the hospital. The video fuels the discussion about violence against women in Turkey.

B's death has triggered nationwide horror. Within days, the words of the deadly injured protests became slogan. In several cities, people took to the streets. "We do not want to die," was a poster that held some participants in the air. In social networks, the sympathy was great. The Istanbul football team Besiktas put a minute's silence at a game last Friday before the start of the match. Celebrities, artists and politicians expressed dismay.

"We lost Emine B. because of male violence," tweeted Istanbul's mayor Ekrem Imamoglu. Stand behind women and children who are victims of violence, the CHP politician continues.

Representatives of the governing party AKP condemned the violence. "We expect the killer to receive the toughest punishment," wrote AKP spokesman Ibrahim Kalin on Twitter. Family Minister Zehra Zümrüt Selcuk, also AKP, announced a zero-tolerance course.

Hundreds of murders of women every year

Especially the party of Recep Tayyip Erdogan is under criticism. They do too little to prevent violence against women, victims received little support, too often the perpetrators would come with criminal mitigation, so the allegations. The AKP gives the case B. so much attention only because of the broad coverage.

Last year, 440 women were killed by their partner or a family member, according to the organization "We Will Stop Femicide" in Turkey. By the end of July, the organization had more than 200 cases. That the death of B. has now caused such an echo, is probably mainly because the act was filmed.

Women's rights organizers are hoping for a political turning point. In 2012, under the leadership of the AKP, Turkey was the first country to ratify the Istanbul Convention - an agreement of the Council of Europe to prevent and combat violence against women and domestic violence - and is enshrined in Law 6248. However, this is hardly enforced according to critics. Others demand a revision of the law.

The required reforms will probably not exist after case B. This is at least a statement by AKP spokesman Ömer Celik close. According to him, the government is ready to take action to stop the violence against women. However, a discussion on a revision of the law is therefore not considered necessary.

Fear for ultra-conservative voters

Too big should be the fear of the AKP to scare ultra-conservative voters. Because in recent months, they have increasingly injected on Law 6284. They see it as a danger to families. Some Islamic conservative columnists even wrote of "women's terrorism". In June, President Erdogan reportedly said that the Istanbul Convention was not binding.

Turkish organization KademA women's movement in Erdogan's sense

In the case of Emine B. Erdogan has expressed his condolences to the family - in a personal phone call with the victim's father. The prosecution has now filed charges of murder against the ex-husband and demands that he be arrested until the end of his life.

According to reports, the man is said to have already confessed. "After she insulted me while we talked about the custody of our child, I stabbed her with the knife I had", the accused is quoted by Turkish media.

B. and her husband were divorced for four years. Even before the deadly meeting in a cafe in the town of Kirikkale, about 80 kilometers east of Ankara, the young woman reportedly reported to the police that she felt threatened by her ex-husband.

Witness to the murder was also the ten-year-old daughter of the former couple. She is now in the care of family members and is mentally cared for. The Turkish authorities have imposed a news blackout - the video of the crime has disappeared from the net.

Source: spiegel

All news articles on 2019-08-27

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